An Eye for Beauty
by SoThere
Summary: When Katniss volunteers to help out at her niece's painting party, she's intrigued by the handsome instructor, Peeta Mellark.


_I was doing some writing spring cleaning and realized I never posted this story from the last round of PiP. Thanks for reading!_

* * *

"Katniss, thank you so much for doing this for us! You're a lifesaver!"

Prim hoists a backpack onto my shoulder and hands me a cardboard box full of pink paper bags smattered with purple polka dots.

"So the party starts at noon, but you should probably get there a little after 11 to set up." She plops another grocery bag at my feet, a Hello Kitty table cloth peeking out from the top and strands of pink crepe paper hanging over the side. "Maddie and I picked out all the decorations together, so she can help you get the room ready."

Prim kneels down and pulls the girl beside her into a hug. "Don't worry, sweetie. I'll be there before it's time to sing, I promise."

"I know, Mommy. Right after you help all the sick people."

Prim pulls back and plants a kiss on her daughter's forehead, tucking a loose strand of dark hair behind Maddie's ear. "That's right. You know how busy things get at the hospital on weekends. But I told Dr. Latier that I could only stay until lunchtime, no later!"

Maddie smiles and hugs her mother's neck. Prim gives her one more kiss and stands again, tucking her daughter into her side. "Rory's just a phone call away. If he didn't have all three boys at home, I'd ask him to cover the birthday party, but you know how crazy the twins can be. They'd be running around, knocking stuff over -"

"They're cornballs!" Maddie adds with a giggle.

"No worries," I reply with a smile. "I'd much rather spend the morning with my Mini-Me than chasing after the animals. You know I can't deal with them before I've had my coffee."

"Auntie Katniss!" Slate eyes so similar to my own crinkle up in laughter. Genetics are a funny thing. Maddie seems to have inherited nearly all of her looks from Rory - or maybe some from my father's side of the family - and almost none from Prim.

But luckily she _did_ inherit Prim's easy going attitude and not my surly one.

Prim sweeps Maddie into one more hug and gives her a big kiss. "I'll see you both later. Love you!"

"We love you, too," I call after her as she gets back into her SUV. "Alright," I say, turning my attention to the girl at my side, "now that she's finally gone, let's get ourselves some donuts."

I'm nervous about finding the party site, so I decide to make our donut run a dual purpose trip to scout out the area. Luckily, we find the location quickly, and as a bonus, discover there's a cute little bakery right next door. It's cozy and warm, a welcome change from the chain coffee shops that seem to be sprouting up on every corner.

Maddie and I each pick out a donut – chocolate frosted for her, glazed blueberry for me – and I order us a coffee and hot chocolate to go. The perky blond behind the counter asks Maddie if she'd like whipped cream on her hot chocolate, and earns bonus points when she piles it on extra high.

We take our sweets back to the house and relax for the rest of the morning. Maddie talks to me about all of her favorite cartoons, and I introduce her to the awesomeness that is _Doctor Who_.

"I don't get it," she mumbles through a mouthful of donut. "They call him The Doctor. But he's not a _real_ doctor, like Mommy?"

"No, he's a Time Lord," I explain as I sip my coffee.

"Huh?

I try to think of a way to explain this to a seven-year-old. "He's a… well… more like… an alien," I explain.

"Like the little green guys in Toy Story?"

"Sort of," I concede. "I guess I'll just have to show you someday."

"Yeah! Would Mommy want to watch it with us?"

I scoff, nearly choking on my coffee. Prim? Watching _Doctor Who_? Never.

"Ah, no, probably not, honey. Your mom isn't really into science fiction."

"Oh, okay," she says, looking a little downtrodden.

I put an arm around her shoulders and give her a squeeze. "But don't worry. There are plenty of reality shows we can all watch together someday."

* * *

I'm still anxious, anticipating this whole party business, so I probably leave a little earlier than I need to. In fact, we still have almost a half an hour before we're supposed to arrive, so Maddie and I head back to the cozy bakery for an early afternoon treat.

This time, I try something flagged as the House Special on the large chalkboard hanging behind the counter. It's a savory roll stuffed with cheese and herbs, the flavors mingling together perfectly on my tongue. I even sneak a bite of Maddie's giant pretzel, dipping the long twisted stick into a pot of honey mustard. It's sweet and salty and a worthy rival for my cheese bun. I'm definitely going to have to remember this place the next time I'm looking for a carb fix.

Eventually, it's time to face the music and start preparing for the kid-o-rama. Maddie and I gather our bags of decorations and head to the shop next door. The door reads "An Eye for Beauty" and through the glass I see a narrow room furnished with a few simple pieces. There are three long tables lining the center and what looks like a small stage at the far end. The walls are covered in bright artwork; lots of nature scenes - sunsets, trees, flowers – and a few random pieces. I am especially drawn to the bright blue fish swimming next to a painting of wine being poured into a large glass.

"What kind of party is this again?" I ask Maddie, delaying our entrance for a moment. "Your mom said it was some kind of craft thing?"

"Painting!" Maddie bounces beside me excitedly. "We get to use real canvases and everything!"

 _Painting_? Great. A bunch of seven-year-old girls going mad with paintbrushes. I guess I should have listened more closely when Prim called me to help. It's a good thing I'm not fussy about my clothes.

I push open the glass door, a bell tinkling to announce our arrival. No one seems to be there to greet us, even after I've put the bags down and waited a few moments. "Hello?" I call out, not quite sure what to do next.

"Hello?" A voice drifts in from a door near the stage. A man peeks through, raising a blond eyebrow at the two of us before frowning contritely. "I'm so sorry! I'll be right there."

After disappearing again, he enters the room wiping his hands on a white rag. "I apologize. I was just cleaning up my supplies and didn't hear you come in. Guess I need to invest in a louder bell." As he gets closer, he tucks the rag into his back pocket. His blond hair is mussed and curly, and tied into a tiny ponytail at the back. He's got a short goatee a few shades darker than the curls, and bright blue eyes amazingly similar to the hue of the fish hanging behind him.

"How can I help you?" he asks, a friendly smile on his face.

"We're here to set up for the party," I answer. "Sorry, we're a bit early..."

"Of course," he replies. "No need to apologize; I was just getting things ready for your arrival. Turning seven is a pretty big deal. Now," he says, putting his hands on his hips and looking between the two of us seriously. "Which one of you is the birthday girl?"

"I am!" Maddie shouts with a giggle. I stifle a smile as he wipes his brow with the back of his hand dramatically.

"I am so glad you told me," he says with a heavy sigh. "I hate looking silly in front of beautiful ladies." He extends a hand toward Maddie. "It's so nice to meet you. My name is Peeta and I'll be at your service today. What's your name?"

Maddie shakes his hand confidently. "Madison Hawthorne. But everyone calls me Maddie."

"Happy birthday, Maddie." He turns his attention toward me, his hand extended in greeting again. "And you are?"

"Katniss," I reply, putting my hand in his. His palm is calloused and warm, and I appreciate the solid grip he uses. I can't stand a man with a weak handshake, as though I'm somehow too fragile to handle their strength.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Katniss." Peeta squeezes my hand slightly before releasing it and putting his hands back on his hips. "So, I noticed some bags over there. Shall we start decorating?"

Luckily, Peeta takes the lead in setting up the decorations. He finds a purple tablecloth in one bag and covers a table near the entrance to use for the presents. The Hello Kitty tablecloth is placed on an adjoining table where he suggests the girls can have their cake.

"Cake!" I suddenly realize in my stress over the party, I never even asked Prim about a cake. "We don't–I didn't-"

"No worries," Peeta assures, shaking his head with a relaxed smile. "A cake is part of the party package." He heads into the back room and returns with a two tiered cake with a Hello Kitty figurine sitting on top. The creamy white frosting is smattered with polka dots in varying shades of pink and purple.

"Wow!" Maddie exclaims.

"It's beautiful," I breathe. "Where did you get it?"

He puts the cake down in the center of the table and organizes the plates and cups beside it. "Actually, I made it."

"You – you made it?" I ask incredulously. "You know, you might want to reconsider this whole painting business and try out baking instead..."

"Funny thing," Peeta says with a chuckle. "Technically, this 'whole painting business' is my _second_ career. I actually own a bakery."

"You do?"

"Yeah, Mellark's? Next door. That's my family's bakery. I took it over a few years ago when my dad retired."

"Oh!" I reply. "Of course! It's a cute little place. Maddie and I had breakfast there. And an afternoon snack. Those cheese buns are to _die_ for."

"Well, it wouldn't do to be killing off my customers." Peeta says with a wink. "I'm so glad you like them. They're my favorites, too," he adds softly.

"I can see why," I agree.

I'm lost in those twinkling eyes when Maddie gives a tug on my shirt. When I look down, she gestures for me to bend over.

"I have to go to the bathroom," she whispers, doing a little dance.

"Okay," I whisper back. Straightening up, I glance around the shop. "I'm sorry, do you have a bathroom we could use?"

"Absolutely," Peeta replies, pointing toward the door in the back. "Right through there, on your left."

Maddie takes my hand and leads me to the bathroom. When she's finished, I help her wash up and head back into the party room. Peeta has been busy decorating while we were gone; streamers line the walls and he's even added a Happy Birthday banner across one wall. My cheeks flush as I catch a glimpse of his backside straining his jeans as he slides the boxes under the tables. I clear my throat to let him know we're back and he jumps slightly at the sound.

"Whew!" he exclaims, a hand on his heart. He's exaggerating for Maddie's sake, but I can tell we genuinely startled him. "You scared me! Are you sure you two aren't part mouse? How else could you walk so quietly?"

Maddie giggles and shakes her head. "No! We're _people_! But Daddy says I take after Aunt Katniss when I sneak up on him at home. We're peas in a pod."

"Aunt?" Peeta repeats, and I think his eyes flit down to my left hand, though it's so quick I can't be sure. "I'm sorry, I assumed – You just look so much alike…" He shakes his head, the smooth-talking persona giving way for the moment.

I put an arm around Maddie. "Yes, _Aunt_ ," I confirm. "Maddie is my sister, Prim's, daughter. She's going to be a little late today, so I offered to help out."

"Well, you are a very lucky girl to have such a nice aunt," Peeta says, never taking his eyes off me.

We're interrupted by the bell on door and the screeching voice of a little girl. "Maddie!"

"Livvie!" Maddie runs off to give her best friend, Olivia a big hug and the two spin in a circle in each other's arms, jumping up and down and screaming the whole time.

"My god, Brainless," her mother says, removing her sunglasses and leveling me with a cool stare. "What the hell are you doing here? I popped that one out of my nether-regions, so I had no choice. But what would possess you to spend an afternoon with these creatures?" I raise my eyebrows at her, and she puts a hand up to stop me. "Say no more. Prim?"

She pulls me into her arms and gives me a hug. "You, my friend, are a sucker."

"Good to see you, too, Johanna," I reply with a laugh.

* * *

Half an hour later, the twelve girls have been set up with aprons and paper plate palettes. Most of the moms took off, eager for a few hours to themselves, but Johanna has stayed behind along with Cecelia, a mother of six who seems to genuinely want to help.

Peeta moves to the front of the room to begin the lesson. Before starting, he fiddles with his iPod and selects a station. The sounds of "Let it Go" drift from the little speaker, eliciting more screams from the girls. "Oh, is this station okay with you guys? I hope you don't mind Disney songs?"

"Yay!" they shout in unison, and a few even start to sing along.

"Aunt Katniss sings this song all the time with me and my brothers," Maddie announces. "She's got the prettiest voice in the world!"

"Is that so?" Peeta asks. "Maybe we can get her to come up here and sing for us today? I've even got a stage," he says, indicating the small platform he's standing on.

"I don't think so," I say with a laugh.

"No?" he says. "Ah, then I guess I'll have to do it myself." With a slight wink in my direction, he begins belting out the lyrics, his voice loud and boisterous, but completely off tune. The girls dissolve in a fit of giggles while he finishes the song.

"Wow," I say nodding appreciatively when the song ends. "That was… energetic. You know every word."

"I have three nieces," he explains sheepishly. "Okay," he announces, clapping his hands together and looking around at the girls. "Who's ready to paint?"

I laugh as he stumbles on his feet, dramatically blown away by the happy shrieks around us.

"Now that we've got the circle mapped out, let's go ahead and draw the bottom of the gumball machine."

Peeta is walking the girls through prepping their canvases, making light pencil marks to separate the parts of the painting Maddie has chosen. He's working on a blank canvas, but has a finished product to his left to help the girls visualize where they're going.

"So if you see here," he says, pointing with the back of his brush, "the bottom of a gumball machine is tapered a bit. It's smaller at the top, near the circle, and wider near the bottom."

"It's kind of shaped like…" He turns to face the girls who are all watching him, captivated. "Has anyone ever heard of a dalek?" The stunned silence is his answer, and he chuckles and shakes his head. "Yeah, probably not a lot of _Doctor Who_ fans in this age group. Trust me, give it a chance when you're older. You'll _love_ it."

"Auntie Katniss loves _Doctor Who_!" Maddie shouts. "She's teaching me all about it!"

"Really?" Peeta asks, his blue eyes drifting to me. "Cheese buns and _Doctor Who_. Your aunt has excellent taste."

"It's brilliant. What's not to love?" I ask with a shrug.

"I couldn't agree more," he replies, his warm smile drawing one of my own.

"Oh, _please_ kill me now. No one told me this was going to turn into one of your trekkie conventions. Can we dial down the nerd a little bit?"

Peeta's attention is redirected by Johanna's outburst, and he shakes his head slightly before focusing on the girls again. "Right. So – back to the gumball machine. Has everyone got the bottom traced out? Anybody need help?"

I turn and find Johanna watching me, a shit-eating grin on her face. "Oh, shut up, Jo," I mutter, ignoring her laughter as I move back to Maddie's side to see if she needs any help.

* * *

"Everyone's got the globe painted white, and the background painted blue, right? So now, we're going to work on the bottom. This gumball machine is going to be shiny red, like a fire engine."

"That's 'cause he's smokin' hot," Johanna mutters under her breath. I elbow her in the side and glance back, relieved that Peeta didn't seem to hear.

"So after you've cleaned your brush, get a big glob of that red paint and start filling it in. We can outline the edges with a smaller brush later."

The girls are silent for a while, focused on their work, until a whine comes from the front of the room. "Oh, no! I ruined it!"

Peeta crouches beside a girl I recognize as Rue, a girl from Maddie's dance class. Her mother had two little ones in tow and a third strapped to her chest when she dropped her off, so grateful for the chance to go grocery shopping while her daughter enjoyed the party.

Peeta puts a hand on Rue's back and glances at her canvas. "What's wrong?"

"I got the blue all mixed up with the red!" she explains, pointing to a large swoop of blue lining the red in the center of her gumball machine.

"Oh man… Did I…" Peeta frowns and looks around at the rest of the girls. "I forgot to mention the most important part of painting! What a dope!" he says, smacking his forehead.

He holds up Rue's paint palette for the rest of the girls to see. "Do you guys know what this _really_ is?"

Twelve heads shake, their eyes locked on Peeta, waiting for the secret to be revealed.

"This… is a _magic_ kit. With just a few drops of paint, you can make every color imaginable! Pink… Like pale cotton candy, or as bright as Hello Kitty's bow. You could make a green the color of grass, or as light as mint chocolate chip ice cream."

He brings Rue up to stand on the stage and hands her the canvas. "Hold it up high now," he instructs her. "Now, can you all see what Rue has done here?" he asks, pointing to the center of her painting. "She has made a color I didn't even think of! She made purple! A beautiful _royal_ purple; like a queen's robe. I think I'm going to start calling you Queen Rue," he adds, causing Rue to giggle.

Peeta helps her back to her stool and faces the girls with his hands on his hips. "Now, who said you couldn't have a purple gumball machine? Just because mine is red doesn't mean yours has to be. I want you girls to remember: _you_ are in charge of your artwork. No one else can tell you what to do, not even me. You are the artists here. So I want you to be as creative as you can! Okay?"

The girls all agree happily. As Peeta moves on to the next steps on the painting, the door opens behind us and Prim comes hurrying in.

"Mommy!" Maddie rushes over to give her a hug.

"Hi, sweetie," Prim says, bending over to kiss the top of her head. "I got here as fast as I could. Did I miss anything important?"

"Well, in-between making googly eyes at your sister, sexy-Bob Ross here just taught us some magic tricks," Johanna interrupts.

"What's 'sexy'?" Maddie asks, eyebrows furrowed.

"I'll explain when you're older, honey," Prim answers, squeezing her in a hug while shooting Johanna a death glare.

"Peeta's teaching us how to mix colors!" Maddie says, pulling herself from Prim's arms and grabbing her hand. "Come see my painting!"

I give Johanna my own scowl as Prim is dragged to the front of the room to meet Peeta and examine Maddie's painting. "He is _not_ making googly eyes at me," I hiss. "He's just friendly."

"If you say so," Johanna says, unconvinced. "But be careful, Katniss. _Friendly_ is what got me that rugrat in the front row."

* * *

"Bye, Maddie. Thank you for inviting me!"

Cecelia and her daughter Abbie wave goodbye, finished canvas in one hand and a goodie bag in the other.

It was a successful, though exhausting, party. After Peeta finished his painting lesson, the girls gathered around to sing Happy Birthday and share some birthday cake. There was even enough for us grown-ups, and I had to hold back a moan at the delicious strawberry filling and fluffy buttercream frosting.

Prim heads to the back to settle the bill with Peeta. Maddie and Livvie eagerly check out the birthday presents while Johanna and I take down the decorations.

"Well?" Johanna says.

"Well what?" I ask, folding a tablecloth and shoving it in a bag.

"What are you going to do about Blondie?" she asks, head angling toward where Peeta and Prim are talking.

"Prim?" I ask innocently.

Johanna just rolls her eyes, tired of my games. "I meant Lover Boy, and you know it, brainless. Are you going to give him your number or what?"

Before I can reply, a noise draws my attention, and I glance back to see the perky blond from the bakery, the one that was so friendly to Maddie, come out from the back room. She wraps her arms around Peeta's waist from behind, surprising him. When he turns, she gives him a big hug, squealing happily. She stands beside him, their arms around each other's waists as he introduces her to Prim.

Something inside me breaks, and I feel myself weighed down with unexpected disappointment. "I told you, Johanna. he's just friendly." I pull down the streamers, crunching them up into messy balls of hot pink. "What would ever make you think a guy like that would be single anyway?" I mumble.

I toss the streamers in the trash and grab my purse off the hook by the door. "I'm pretty tired. Will you tell Prim I had to go? I think she can handle it from here."

Johanna gives me a sympathetic smile and nods as I escape before anyone can catch me.

* * *

I guess two weeks was the limit.

It's been two weeks since Maddie's party; two weeks of me moping around, scowling at teenagers holding hands at the mall, and grumbling at trailers for romantic comedies.

"That's it, brainless," Johanna said this afternoon when I finally answered my cell. "Get yourself dressed. We're having a girls' night tonight."

I tried to refuse but Prim called immediately after, telling me she'd already gone through the trouble of telling Rory and buying a new outfit so we were going. _End of story_.

So here I am, dressed in Prim's skinny jeans, Johanna's cream colored sweater, and Madge's burnt orange scarf wrapped around my neck. Only my favorite leather boots make me feel like myself as we drive to some club that Johanna heard about at work.

Only – _this isn't a club_ , I think as we pull into a familiar parking lot. _This is_ -

"Ohhh, no," I say from the backseat of Prim's SUV. "What the hell are we doing here?" The parking lot is quiet this time of night, but I can see lights on through the glass door.

"Out of the car, Everdeen," Johanna says, undoing her seatbelt.

"No," I say, folding my arms across my chest. "Uh-uh. I'm not going."

"Oh, don't be such a baby," Johanna says, rolling her eyes at me.

"I'm not being a baby! I can't believe you guys tricked me!"

"We didn't trick you," offers Madge from the front passenger seat. "They have adult paint and sip nights here. It's perfect for a girls' night out."

"Peeta gave me a pamphlet at Maddie's party. But don't worry; he won't even be here," Prim explains. "It says someone named Lavinia runs the night time sessions."

I take a breath and let the panic pass. "Fine," I finally concede, undoing my seatbelt.

As we get closer, I notice the storefront isn't as brightly lit as it was the day of Maddie's party. "It's so dark in there," I say nervously. "How are we supposed to paint in the dark?"

"Don't worry about it," Prim says, holding the door open for me.

As I walk past her, I see that the tables are decorated with dozens of lit candles. There's a small round table set up on the stage with two chairs, a white linen tablecloth, and two wine glasses.

"What the hell-"

I turn around just as Johanna pulls the door shut behind me, my three friends waving at me through the glass, smug grins on their faces. _I'm going to kill them_.

"Katniss?"

A familiar voice pulls me from my murder plans. Peeta has come out of the back room, a handful of white daisies in his hand. He looks as handsome as I remember in a deep green sweater and brown corduroys.

"I'm sorry your friends tricked you. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"I don't understand…"

"I really thought you and I made a connection the other day. I was going to ask you for your number that day, but you left so quickly, I lost my nerve…" He shrugs. "I finally worked up the courage to call Prim, and she said she'd take care of getting you here."

We've been slowly drifting closer to each other. He's right in front of me now, holding out the daisies for me to take.

"But… your girlfriend…" He looks confused. "The blond woman? From the bakery?"

His eyes widen in understanding. "Oh, that's Delly. My step-sister. She was leaving for the day and wanted to say goodbye. She's really friendly."

 _Friendly_. I choke back a laugh at the hateful word.

"So, what do you say?" He holds out the daisies, an eager expression on his face. "I even made cheese buns. Will you give me one night to convince you I'm the guy for you?"

I take the flowers, studying the soft white petals.

"Stay," he asks, his voice lower, pleading. "Please?"

My smile is the only answer he needs.


End file.
